Basketball, soccer and wrestling. Take your pick. The winter
sports are heating up like monkeys at a banana farm.
Basketball, soccer and wrestling. Take your pick. The winter sports are heating up like monkeys at a banana farm.
Tonight, at 5:30 p.m. I get my first glimpse of the girls hoopers, who host Carmel at 5:30 p.m. The JV’s are at 4 p.m. Note the time change, for the Padres have no frosh team. Nor fresh team, for that matter.
Both Baler boys and girls basketballers are in tournaments. The Baler boys (1-0) travel to Overfelt High School in San Jose for the Overfelt Tournament, which runs Wednesday through Friday. The Balers open up with College Prep of San Jose. If you’re going, take 101 North to Tully East. Left on King to Cunningham. Right on Cunningham one block to school.
The Baler girls (1-1) are in the Mt. Pleasant Tourney in San Jose same dates. First round game for the Balers is against Santa Teresa at 5 p.m. If you’re going, take 101 North to Tully East to White Road. Left on White past Pleasant Hills Golf Course to school on right.
Speaking of tournaments, the Baler wrestlers will be busy this week. First, Matt Olejnik and crew host a Novice Tournament on Wednesday (3 p.m.), where first-year wrestlers will get their ears wet or cauliflowered, which ever comes first. Then, this Friday and Saturday it’s the annual Kenny Fehlman Tournament. Nine teams, including the Balers, will be on hand and on mat, grappling away.
Originally, it was to be a 10-team field, but Napa High’s football team advanced in the postseason and the Indians bowed out of the Fehlman Tourney two weeks ago. However, a strong field remains with Wilcox, Fremont (Sunnyvale), Central (Fresno), Centennial (Bakersfield), East Bakersfield, Dos Pueblos (Santa Barbara), Atascadero, and Farmersville (Visalia). Former Baler Donnie Rider, the only Baler to make it the state championship match, is an assistant coach at Central after two years assisting at his alma mater.
Five teams will be the visiting teams and four will be home. They wrestle each other on Friday with bouts starting at 1 p.m. and ending at about 7 p.m. The teams wrestle within their respective pools Saturday starting at 9 a.m. and going to about 3 p.m. Team champs, as well as, individual champions will be crowned. Awards will be doled out for Most Falls by a team, along with fastest pin for the tourney.
The Balers will be without 152-pound Alejo Velasquez, who broke his hand in football. Velasquez won’t be cleared to wrestle until Jan. 1. Also out is 215-pounder Matt De La Rosa, who dislocated his shoulder playing football a month ago. De La Rosa may be able to practice in a couple of weeks.
The Balers do have Octavio Lucatero, who is the top-ranked wrestler in the Central Coast Section at 140-pounds.
Look for a preview of the Baler wrestling team later this week.
The girls soccer team is 4-3 after a 2-3 ledger in the Burlingame Tournament. The Balers managed to wriggle their way into last Saturday’s championship bracket, following Friday’s 7-0 victory over Hillsdale. However, the Baler fell to host Burlingame 6-2 Saturday morning, then dropped a tough 4-2 contest to Aragon Saturday night.
Jennifer Vandenberg has now scored 24 goals in seven games. Fellow striker Jenny Maheu has been keeping in step and has 14 goals.
Head coach Michael Schurig is pleased with his team’s progress, to say nothing of the Balers’ fourth place finish, complete with trophy and medals.
“We played Aragon much tougher than we did the first time we played them,” said Schurig. “We were down just 2-1 at the half, then were down 3-2 and had good opportunities to tie the match.”
The Balers were dealt a blow when their top defender, Amy Baxter, was taken out on a hard tackle. Baxter was in pain and had to leave the match. The Dons pounded across an insurance goal with five minutes left in the match. It didn’t help that defenders Becky Bonner and Lorena Villagomez weren’t available for duty over the weekend.
“We had to rearrange our defense,” said Schurig. “We have a good bench, but missing those girls hurt us.”
Schurig’s booters get right back on the pitch when they travel to Alvarez on Tuesday for a non-league match. Then it’s a trip to scenic Monterey on Friday for another non-leaguer. You can check out the Balers at home next Monday when they host Monte Vista Christian.
Don’t even think about a Tri-County Athletic League match until Jan. 9 at Live Oak, which is something to think about.
And if you wondering it there is a boys soccer team this year, the answer is a big yes. The Baler boys booters (say that five times fast) had a snafu in the scheduling with the change of athletic directors. No one is to blame, but newcomer A.D. Dave Tari didn’t feel it was his responsibility to schedule non-league games, instead leaving it up to the respective coaches. That threw Baler second-year head coach Michael Warner, who has since rebounded enough to get five non-league matches, though all are on the road.
The Balers will be in gear in a hurry starting Dec. 9 at Del Mar (San Jose). Then it’s Dec. 10 at Alvarez; Dec. 11 at Branham (San Jose); Dec. 12 at Piedmont Hills (San Jose); and at Palo Alto on Dec. 14 at 1:15 p.m.
The Baler boys’ first TCAL match is Jan. 10 vs. Live Oak at home.
Time to re-boot. It’s winter time sports action, right here on KFL radio.
